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DECEMBER 29 2019 - VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA
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THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
Oh... and to contact us with your news because
If It Matters To You It Matters To Us!
Email nationalnews@wia.org.au
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NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING DECEMBER 29 2019
IN OUR 24th YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS
WIA IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT JUSTIN WITH WHATS IN STORE IN HOBART
FOR OUR AGM
WIA DIRECTOR JOHN VK4JJW NEWS OF A SILENT KEY WHOSE MAIN ACHIEVEMENT
WE USE MOST DAYS
WIA QSL BUREAU CHANGES IN 2 STATES
WIA PAST DIRECTOR ROBERT GOES STAR GAZING, AND SO TO CAN YOU
WIA OFFICE CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS NEW YEAR
WIA PRESIDENT WITH THIS WEEKS BOARD COMMENT
All this and more in this bumper Christmas Season edition of National
news from the WIA, the last news service of the decade.
WIA
Not a WIA Member? details email nationaloffice@wia.org.au
OR the link on bottom right of wia.org.au
https://wia.memnet.com.au/MemberSelfService/NewMemberForm/WIA/NewMemberForm.aspx
WIA board minutes can be found on wia.org.au click
WIA Information.
Season’s Greetings from the WIA Conference Organising Committee.
The WIA Annual Conference will be held in Hobart Tasmania over the
8th to 10th May 2020 and registrations are open and selling fast.
The conference theme is “Antarctic Gateway” and the weekend is setup
to showcase the Antarctic past, present and future for those
attending the weekend.
We have been able to secure a fantastic deal from the Spirit of
Tasmania with discounted fares and accommodation on the ship for the
two weeks before and after the conference weekend. So, if you are
thinking of making a holiday of it and seeing the Apple Isle, this is
your chance. Bring the car, caravan, motorhome or motorbike. To take
advantage of the special Spirit of Tasmania deal book early to ensure
they have a space for your vehicle and caravan!
Follow the link on the WIA website page to the Spirit of Tasmania
booking site.
https://www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/offers/wia-annual-conference-2020
We have also been given permission to operate 6m, 2m and 70cm
handhelds maritime mobile on the Spirit for this period.
This is a unique opportunity to operate Maritime Mobile on your
travels.
The conference begins on Friday 8th May at lunchtime with 30 lucky
people getting a tour of the Australian Antarctic Division
headquarters South of Hobart. There will be buses to and from the
conference venue. These bookings are open to all call areas except
VK7 on a first come first served basis so get in quick to reserve a
booking as it is limited to 30 people.
On the Sunday we have a range of fascinating tours organised. These
include Mawson’s Huts Replica Museum, either the Tasmanian Museum
and Art Gallery with their Islands to Ice exhibition or the
Tasmanian Maritime Museum and the wonderful and very unique
Grote Reber Museum and Radio Telescope dish. Grote Reber was the
father of radio astronomy, being the first person to build a
"big dish" antenna for the purpose of mapping the sky at
radio frequencies. He discovered many discrete radio sources, and he
mapped the band of bright radio emission from our Galaxy,
the Milky Way. Reber came to Tasmania in the late 1950s because of
its unique location at high magnetic latitude in the
southern hemisphere. He spent 40 years studying low frequency
emissions with telescopes he built himself, first in partnership with
the University of Tasmania School of Physics, and later on his own
at Bothwell.
We finish off today with a reminder that we have negotiated a great
deal from the Conference venue " Best Western Hobart with $149 per
night rooms. Check out the WIA website to see what to do to take
advantage of this discounted rate.
https://www.wia.org.au/joinwia/wia/2020agm/
We hope you have a safe and happy holiday season.
73, Justin VK7TW on behalf of the WIA2020 Conference organising
committee.
Staffing Changes in the WIA Bureaus
The WIA Board has recently approved two changes in the management
of the State QSL Bureaus.
In VK5, Chris Platt, (VK5CP) has stepped out of the role, which has
now been taken up by Grant Willis (VK5GR), with the VK5 Bureau
now operating under the auspices of the Amateur Radio Experimenter’s
Group in that State.
In VK8, Greg Winterflood (VK8KMD) has relinquished his role, noting
a recent downturn in cards destined for Alice Springs amateurs.
Phil Brennan (VK8VWA) has now taken over the VK8 QSL Bureau
management, which is now tied in with the Darwin Amateur Radio Club.
On behalf of the WIA, I would like to express my thanks and
gratitude to both Chris and Greg for their assistance in ensuring
that the WIA QSL Bureau process has continued to operate effectively. The WIA QSL Bureaus could not continue to operate without the time given voluntarily by our members.
John Seamons VK3JLS - National & Inwards WIA QSL Bureau Manager
WIA National Office posted a note a day or so back on the main wia
page to advise they are closed.
The WIA office in Bayswater closed Friday December 20th 2019 and
will re-open in the New Year at 11am (AEDT) on Monday 20th of
January 2020.
(wia.org.au)
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club,
ARRL, RAC, NZART AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE & the World Wide sources of
the WIA.
USA
FCC seeks to remove 3 GHz ham radio band
ARRL reports the FCC has formally adopted proposals to remove the
USA Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Service 3 GHz Band and is inviting
comments
“By proposing to delete the existing non-federal secondary allocations
from the 3.3 " 3.55 GHz band, we are taking an important initial step
towards satisfying Congress’s directives and making as much as
250 megahertz of spectrum potentially available for advanced wireless
services, including 5G,” the FCC said in the Introduction to its
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
A group of radio amateurs gathered earlier this month at W 1 AW
to mark the 98th anniversary of the successful ARRL Transatlantic
Tests.
December, 1921, a message transmitted by a group of Radio Club of
America members at 1 BCG in Greenwich, Connecticut, was copied by
Paul Godley, 2 ZE, in Scotland. Reporting on the accomplishment,
ARRL Secretary Kenneth B. Warner, 1 EH, declared “Excelsior!”
Clark Burgard, n 1 BCG " who lives in Greenwich and fashions his call
sign as, lower case n, figure ONE then upper case BCG to honour the
original 1BCG " was among those on hand at the Maxim Memorial Station.
“We completed a successful special event at W1AW commemorating the
98th anniversary of the Transatlantic Tests,” Burgard recounted.
“This was particularly important historically to amateur radio as it
was originally organized by the ARRL in 1921 to determine if
low-power amateur radio stations using shortwave frequencies could
actually be heard in Europe. Until then, it was thought impossible.”
BOSTON MARATHON
FCC Proposes a MARATHON Fine for Unlicensed Broadcasting
The FCC has proposed fining an alleged pirate broadcaster in the
Boston, Massachusetts area more than $450,000. According to the FCC,
Radio TeleBoston, used three separate transmitters for broadcasting,
resulting in three separate violations of the law.
As a result of the scale of this operation, its potential impacts,
and its continuous nature, the Commission proposed the maximum
penalty for all three transmitters.
NEW ZEALAND
Short-term management rights in 3.5 GHz band for 5G
In December 2019 the New Zealand Government approved the allocation,
via auction, of short-term rights to an unused portion of 3.5 GHz
spectrum. These rights will be allocated as national management
rights for a term beginning mid-2020 until 31 October 2022.
3.5 GHz is the first spectrum band to be allocated for 5G services in
ZL.
INDIA
A now elderly man who'd gone missing from home when he was in his 20s
and for whom a death certificate in the meantime had been issued is
back home with his family in Odisha, India with the help of amateur
radio operators.
Our News Editor Graham VK4BB filed this story this week for Amateur
Radio Newsline:-
" The West Bengal Radio Club's secretary, Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA,
had noticed the 75-year-old resting on a bench. Though the man did
not speak to him, Ambarish befriended him over time, bringing him
food, a blanket and a mosquito net. When the man finally spoke and
said his name was Charu, Ambarish recognized that he was from Odisha. He contacted a ham there - Dushyant (Doo-SHANT) Kumar Das - who was able to track down the man's family home based on his memories of what it looked like 57 years ago, the last time Charu had been there. Dushyant found the location and eventually tracked down Charu's younger brother, Ajay (A-JIGH) who recounted how after Charu had gone missing and could not be located, had been declared dead. The Odisha hams relayed the Charu's return.
Subir Datta VU3ZSD president of the West Bengal Radio Club, told the
Millennium Post, "We are happy to help a person to reunite with his
family after so many years. "
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HAM RADIO OPERATIONAL NEWS - IT'S A CONTACT SPORT
All major Australian contests, rules and results, are on the
Contest Section of the WIA website.
wia.org.au/members/contests/about
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Ross Hull Memorial VHF/UHF Contest takes place ALL of January 2010
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VHF - UHF SUMMER FIELD DAY - Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 January.
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WIA John Moyle Field Day 2020
Weekend of 21-22 March from UTC 0100 on the Saturday to 0059 Sunday 22.
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The provisional date for the next Harry Angel Sprint will be Saturday
May 2nd 2020. 10:00 - 11:46 UTC.
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The VK SHIRES the June long weekend, which is the weekend prior to the
second Monday of June each year.. making it June 6 - 7 in 2020
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TRANS TASMAN LOWBAND CONTEST
Next contest - 17 JUL 2020 - and has the aim of encouraging
Low Band activity between VK and ZL on 160 80 and 40M using
SSB, CW and RTTY OR PSK
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RD or Remembrance Day Contest will be August 15 - 16 next year.
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OCEANA CONTEST
VOICE from 0800 UTC Saturday October 3 to 0800 UTC Sunday October 4
CW from 0800 UTC Saturday October 10 to 0800 UTC Sunday October 11
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THROUGH THE DX WINDOW
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New Irish beacon on 60 MHz now on the air
Back in early 2018, the 60 MHz (5-metre) band was allocated to
radio amateurs in Ireland (EI) on a secondary non-interference basis.
Now we have news that the very first beacon on 60 MHz went on air on
the 16th of December 2019 using the call EI 1 KNH.
It is on 60.013 MHz and runs 25 watts into a vertical folded dipole.
This currently is the only 5-metre beacon operational in the world.
The 5-metre beacon is co-sited with some of the existing Irish beacons
EI 0 SIX on 50 MHz and EI 4 RF on 70 MHz. The elevated site has a
locator of IO 6 3VE and is located about 20 kms to the south of
Dublin.
(SouthGate)
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A joint group of Tunisian and Algerian amateurs are active as
7 X 7 X December 28 " 2nd January focusing on 160 and 80m and
digital. QSL manager is 7 X 2 RO.
(irts)
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Col MM 0 NDX and Jonathan MM 0 OKG are spending a few days in Iceland signing TF/OJ 0 Y from
30th December " 2nd January. QSL via EB 7 DX.
(irts)
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A team of 8 UK operators will be QRV from the Sovereign Base Area of
Cyprus from 2nd " 7th January. They will use the callsign ZC 4 UW on
all bands 160 " 10m on CW and SSB.
(irts)
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Island chasers may be interested in working Ron PY6/PP2RON who
will be on Itaparica Island until 1st January. This one counts as
SA-023 for the Islands on the Air Award and QSLs go via his home
call.
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QNEWS WORK BENCH
Teams across Australia are joining a community science project,
building backyard Radio Telescopes to detect the arms of the
Milky Way Galaxy.
This DIY radio telescope project headed up by second year Masters
of Astronomy student Rami Mandow is the first in a Inspiring Next
Geneneration series which is all about getting people across
Australia and NZ involved in science and the Australian/New Zealand
space communities.
There’s a bunch of info about this community science project on
https://spaceaustralia.com/news/community-science-project-diy-radio-telescope
The teams are building antennas and software defined radio receivers
for the 21cm band. The community of DIY radio telescope builders is
made up of folks many who have never had any experience with radio
astronomy, parents and young people, radio astronomers, radio
amateurs, engineers, software developers and more, yes its a very
diverse group!
There are thirty-three teams in Australia, three in Africa and one
team in America who are each building their own DIY radio telescopes.
Teams participate, share and collaborate through an online Slack
community and are working towards producing a full set of
documentation which can be open-sourcedanyone at the end of this
project.
Link to Space Australia Website
https://spaceaustralia.com/news/community-science-project-diy-radio-telescope
Hi I'm Bruce vk3ff , lets look at the weather then special interest
groups...
WIRELESS WEATHER
Solar Minimum is officially 'deep.'
2019 has just broken a Space Age record for days without sunspots.
Moreover, an international panel of scientists led by NOAA and NASA
predicts that Solar Minimum could deepen even further, not reaching
its lowest point until April of 2020.
Recently we were asked "BUT WHAT IS A SUNSPOT?"
Well they are cool planet-sized areas on the Sun where intense
magnetic loops poke through the star's visible surface.
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- CW
AMSAT CW Day, January 1, 2020 is Just Ahead!
You are cordially invited to take part in AMSAT CW Activity Day 2020
sponsored by AMSAT for all radio amateurs throughout the world.
The 2020 event will be held in memory of Larry Brown, W7LB, and
Keith Pugh, W5IU. Among their many contributions to AMSAT,
they were the AMSAT 20-meter net for many years.
Participation is easy.
Just operate CW through any Amateur Radio satellite on 1 January 2020.
Use of straight keys or bugs is encouraged but not required. If you
use AO-7, please observe the QRP rules currently in effect for that
45-year-old satellite.
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER
Israel Applauds Successful Launch of Duchifat3
Israel has applauded the successful launch of Isro’s PSLV-C48 rocket
that put an experimental satellite built by students of its country
into orbit on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
The Israeli satellite was among nine foreign customer satellites
piggybacking on India's primary payload Risat-2BR1, a military
radar imaging satellite.
Duchifat3 was built by high school students and carries an
on-board camera for earth imaging.
The transponder has an uplink of 145.970 MHz and a downlink of
436.400 MHz -- however some reports indicate that downlink
may actually be at 436.420 MHz.
ESA's OPS-SAT Flying Laboratory Launched, a first-of-its-kind space
laboratory.
The small, low-cost, test satellite has been specifically designed
for operational experimentation in space, and includes the most
powerful flight computer on-board any current ESA spacecraft.
As spacecraft managers dare to fly only tried-and-tested hard and
software in the harsh conditions of space, innovation on the
operational side of satellites is a very slow-moving process. This is
where OPS-SAT steps in, bringing down the barriers to spacecraft
operations it provides a chance to safely test out new mission
control techniques.
Anyone can apply to become an 'experimenter' and test their
innovative software and new mission operations techniques in space.
OP-SAT provides technology for future missions and paves the way for
satellites to further evolve with minimum risk.
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS IOTA
2020 IOTA Honour Roll " Annual Listings
IOTA enthusiasts, if you have been planning to submit an application
for IOTA, consider doing it now before the December / January rush.
For those waiting for the very last QSL to secure their highest
possible position on the 2020 Honour Roll and Annual Listing, you are
reminded that the last date for mailing score updates to checkpoints
for inclusion is 31 January 2020. If postmarked after that date, and
each year some are received, they are processed in the normal way but
the scores are held over to the following year's listing.
In countries where the postal service to the checkpoint is often
subject to delay, it is best to mail cards early so as to avoid
complications. It is important that participants who have not updated
since the 2015 annual listings and wish to remain listed should make
a submission before 31 January 2020.
Furthermore, if you have not logged into your record for more than
two years, you will need to revalidate your registration.
Do not leave it to the last moment as you WILL run out of time.
WHAT ARE WE WITHOUT IT?
Software that is.
If you are chasing the 'latest and greatest' in Ham Radio software
be aware of one of the largest and up to date repositories.
DX ZONE
DXZONE has software from Android to Weather and FAX and in fact
some 96 logging applications!
Where do you get it?
dxzone.com
YOTA
YOUTH ON THE AIR - IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR
In fact it’s a YouTube channel
HamRadio.World is a YouTube channel that is put on by a family of
six amateur radio operators.
Dad (WX4TV) and Mom (N8ZQZ),
Zechariah (WX4TVJ), Faith Hannah (KD3Z ),
Hope (ND2L), and Grace (KE3G).
They have been told that Faith Hannah and Hope each were at
different times the youngest Extra Class hams in the US of A.
They are a home school family, and amateur radio plays an integral
part in their curriculum and all of the children have earned their
Amateur Extra Class licenses.
They even have a family ham radio club called the Ham Radio World
Club and the callsign for the club is KJ 3 T.
Oh and recently, the kids have been getting interested in
Emergency Communications and being prepared for emergencies.
The entire family helped to provide communications between the
EOC and shelters during Hurricane Matthew’s brush with Florida,
and the kids have built an emergency communications Go Box.
Grace (KE3G), who earned her license in May 2016 at the age of 8
upgraded her license to Amateur Extra this year at the
Orlando HamCation® 2019.
If you hear any of the clan on the air, give a shout!
(YouTube)
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2020 Social Scene
VK4 - TARC Australia Day Long Week Family Radio Camp Thursday
afternoon 23rd to Monday afternoon 27th January 2020 at
Girl Guides Association of Qld Campsite and Training Centre,
Bluewater. (TARCinc)
VK2 - WYONG FIELD DAY 23rd February 2020 (dd5lp)
While many have been preparing for and then getting over
Christmas feasts, or those less lucky, protecting their and
others home from bush fires some of the CCARC club members have
been working hard to make sure the 2020 Wyong Field Day is
going to be one to remember for all the best reasons.
Along with the traders, exhibitors, boot sale sellers and
Lectures, this year we are arranging a Fox-Hunt day to take
place at Wyong on the Saturday immediately prior to the big day.
We will also be able to run Australian Licence exams again this
year under the control of our AMC approved examiners, so get
your reservations in, in plenty of time.
We are just waiting for confirmation of supply of the valuable
prizes to the annual raffle but I can tell you it'll be good
again!
Disabled parking is, as always, available with wheelchair
access to all three levels of the event. The gates open at
8:30am - with the traders arriving to set up from 6 am.
Over the coming weeks I'll be bringing you more detailed
information, including an impressive list of lectures, but if
you'd like to take your web browser to www.fieldday.org.AU
you'll see all the information there first.
For the CCARC Fieldday at Wyong this has been Ed VK2JI.
VK4 - SEQ Amateur Radio Field Day March 10, 10am at
Landsborough Sports Complex 15 Tunnel Ridge Rd. (vk4an)
VK4 - REDFEST 2020 18th April. St. Michael's College
Old Toorbul Point Rd from 8am (vk4tfn)
VK - WIA Annual Conference, Hobart 8-10 May. (vk7tw)
VK - ALARAMEET 2020 Bendigo October 2 - 5 (vk5yl)
Submitting news items
If you would like to submit news items for possible inclusion in the
VK1WIA broadcasts, please email your item in text to
nationalnews@wia.org.au and don't JUST send url's links or posters,
but take the time to pen YOUR contribution.
To submit audio email nationalnews@wia.org.au and ask for the current
password then read "how to submit items" in the weekly news page on
http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/contribute/
We would appreciate items certainly no longer than 2 minutes in length
as we only have a half hour.
Remember the sooner you submit material the more the likelihood of it
being broadcast in the very next edition of WIA National News.
Each item will only be broadcast once, if you want a couple of
mentions, please submit different slants to keep your event 'fresh'
and always if the news room is to read your item ---
write it in the 3rd person.
A reminder when supplying HamFest info we obviously can't plug
DEALS from commercial traders "on air", but we at the WIA will put
your supporters 'goods' in this text edition "no worries."
We cannot give blatant 'plugs' to raffles. (new Jan 2019)
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Thanks to our dedicated band of broadcast volunteers who utilize
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The purpose of "WIANews" is to rapidly provide news of interest to
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We strongly encourage membership in the Wireless Institute of
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